Why Is Martha Graham Important To Dance

“I wanted to begin not with characters or ideas, but with movements . . .I wanted significant movement. I did not want it to be beautiful or fluid. I wanted it to be fraught with inner meaning, with excitement and surge.”–Martha Graham. The world of modern dance was started by the one and only, Martha Graham. On May 11th 1894, Martha Graham was born to George Graham and Jane Beers in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now known as Pittsburg. Her father, George, was a doctor that specializes in treating people with nervous disorders. However there is no information about her mother, except for a death date and location; Jane Beers died in Santa Barbara, CA in 1958. Martha had three siblings, Mary, Georgia and a younger brother who died of scarlet fever before his second birthday. Martha was the oldest of all the kids, definitely pressuring her to be the good influence. Growing up Martha was surrounded by the arts. Her father frequently played the piano and her nurse ,Elizabeth Pendergrass, would set up plays for the children to act out while she was watching them. In 1908 Graham 's family moved to Santa Barbara, California because Martha 's sister Mary developed chronic asthma. It is known that the air in Pittsburgh was dirty , unhealthy and full of soot from the factories that had been springing up around the area. The air and weather in California was far cleaner, healthier and nicer to live in. Martha did not have a desire to dance till the year 1914 when she got the

Martha 's life and journey has influenced the world of dance, forming it to what it is today. Because of her fearlessness and devotion to dance, we are able to learn so much about the new ways to utilize our bodies in a less fluid more emotionally manor. Sadly the Mother of Modern Dance passed away on April 1st, 1991 of old age. Martha never stopped going, she danced to her heart 's content and never slowed down. She started from the bottom, not knowing how to dance and she became the true